Documents spell out details with Pirates, Civic Center lease

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- There are new developments in the disagreement between the Portland Pirates and the Cumberland County board of Trustees.

The Pirates announced last week they would be suing the Cumberland County Civic Center claiming that they had a lease deal all worked out and that the deal was later pulled off the table.

NEWS CENTER has obtained previously undisclosed documents now filed at the Cumberland County Courthouse which show private email exchanges between the Civic Center and the Pirates.

The documents show the lease amendment, which was signed by both parties on April 30th, 2013, that both sides clearly were committed to working toward an agreement, but the exact wording reads that "nothing shall be considered a binding agreement as to an extended lease or new lease, as to any obligation to negotiate and, or, as to the terms to be considered during any negotiations, and the parties may at any time, cease negotiations and discussions in their sole discretion."

The documents further show multiple email exchanges between the two sides where the board of trustees make, what is worded as, "final offers" only to have those offers revised by the Pirates representatives and sent back.

There is expected to be a status conference in the near future between the two sides and a judge to see what the next steps, if any, will be.